Housing affordability and increased costs have long presented challenges for domestic relocation.

You’ve heard it before…you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Well, that is certainly true as it relates to domestic relocation costs.

Economic challenges exist when relocating employees within the United States. Employee and family concerns often center around the financial impacts of a move.

Mark Twain famously said, “buy land, they’re not making it anymore”. This rings true today as it relates to the U.S. housing market. Various reasons – local market conditions, lack of supply, robust demand from homebuyers as they take advantage of historically low interest rates, etc. – have caused a surge in home prices.

Talent Acquisition Managers and Recruiters are experts at selling the prospect of working at their company. There are issues that candidates consider that these companies can’t control…cost-of-living being one of them.

What is the best solution for your company: full-service relocation, lump sum amount, or a hybrid approach? It’s a hotly debated topic within corporate relocation programs and is discussed at almost every industry event. Companies must weigh their budget against the level of support they are willing to provide transferees. There’s no easy answer, no one-size-fits-all.

Worldwide ERC has consistently cited high cost-of-living as one of the main reasons why employees are reluctant to relocate. This issue can have real consequences on your company’s ability to recruit and retain talent in a highly competitive labor market. You may be addressing cost differences in your global assignments, but what about in your domestic relocation program?

Our careers often take us in different directions but this week I returned to AIRINC to develop new client relationships within the Midwest. Having been away for the last five years in the relocation management sales world, I visited a new Cambridge, MA office with many new faces, but I found the same dedication to clients and quality products that has fostered AIRINC’s reputation as industry thought leaders for over sixty-five years.